April in Skokie is the parkway lindens breaking bud, the Yellow Line sliding by on its embankment, and somebody's first mow of the year filling a whole block with that smell. R & G Almanza Landscape Inc begins there: spring cleanup, winter litter out of the beds, then a first cut set high so the turf can find its feet. After that comes the weekly rhythm of mowing, trimming and edging, with the walks blown off before the truck leaves. Autumn closes the year with leaves cleared and one last pass over everything. A short list of tasks, done every week, all the way through.